Oklahoma Today Podcast: November 18, 2024

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If you've already tuned in to one of those Christmas music stations on the radio, there's a good chance you have already heard the holiday classic "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" this year. Gayla Peevey, the Oklahoma-born original singer of the 1953 song, joins The Oklahoma Today Podcast this week as our featured guest. The song helped raise money to buy the OKC Zoo's first hippo, Matilda. Now the zoo is planning to build a statue a statue honoring Gayla and Matilda in the next year or two. We talked with Gayla about the honor, her history with the song, and even the Moo Deng sensation. Speaking of the OKC Zoo, Safari Lights is also now open for the season, and we got a sneak peek of that as well.

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss which exotic animal they'd want to find under their own Christmas tree, and Oklahoma Tourism's Kaitlyn Rivas joins us as a special guest host. You won't want to miss it!

Catch up with back episodes of the Oklahoma Today Podcast here.

Written By

Ben Luschen

Luschen joined the *Oklahoma Today*’ staff as Research Editor in 2021 and currently works as the magazine's Web Editor, managing the website and social media fronts. His past *Oklahoma Today* stories have ranged in content from the state's bee and quail industries to its vibrant art and music scenes. Not adverse to a road trip, Luschen is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. He is never out of opinions about the current state of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.